Janet Gwaltney said she has suffered from shingles, a viral infection that causes a painful rash.

Gold Wedge 2 Kork Soft Womens Ease 0 Ava She’s had it three times in the last 15 years.

“I could not take my brain off of how much I was hurting. That’s when I knew something was really really wrong,” Gwaltney said.

Three months ago she had it across her face, and according to the CDC she is not alone. They have reported more shingles cases among adults.

Shingles is the same virus responsible for chicken pox. Dr. Ryan Light with the Tidewater Physicians Multispecialty Group said, “The CDC has been tracking [shingles] for the last 15, 20 years. They were saying it’s increasing in all age groups, so it’s not just the elderly that seeing an increase.”

One reason for this could be more people reporting, but the definite reason for the increase remains a mystery.

“I think the consensus is that we really don’t know why that is the case with increases in shingles cases,” EVMS Physician John Snellings said.

Watch News 3 at 11 Tuesday night to learn more about what the CDC says you can do to protect yourself and your children.